Harry Friedman has officially left Wheel and Jeopardy!

Other than All I can say is that it's hard to imagine what it's like to plan retirement and then the party gets cut short due to the ongoing pandemic.

As for Mike, after a lot of what Harry introduced in his earlier years, it's going to be hard to top that.

Congratulations to Harry on an amazing career.

So assuming these quotes are true (and not just nice words because somebody is on their way out) my question would be what happened? Why did we have to suffer through so many recent bland seasons of Wheel where the show desperately could have used that shot in the arm that Harry had been able to deliver in the past? I think the last real game changer in my mind was the introduction of the Million Dollar Bonus Round, and that was over 10 years ago.

I could think of a couple of theories, but I'm going with that Harry simply disagreed. He thought the show was fine as is and the minor tweaks he was making each season was enough to keep it fresh. I think that was a miscalculation and that the quality of the show has greatly suffered because of it.

Unlike the situation when he came into Price, Mike has my full support to shake things up. He has enough experience now doing this to know what might work. And with host changes on the horizon, now could be the time to take advantage and come up with a new format while still keeping the roots.

Needless to say, I'm still hoping he can persuaded to do a Tournament of Champions hahahahaha

^ Just curious as to why you're not looking forward to his being EP? After getting his "sea legs" at Price, Mike actually did a great job with his direction that he took the show. He kept it fresh while not taking away from what the heart of Price really was and always has been. I do not see why he wouldn't do the same with Wheel & J! As a host? Eh, probably not my first choice, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world either. Harry did a lot of great things for Wheel (digitizing the puzzle board, overhauling the bonus round for more cash options, jackpot, free play, mystery round, I could go on), but in his final years, things were getting very stale, to say the least, and it needs a breath of fresh air. (J! is J! and there isn't much change that can be done there; making the dollar amounts higher on the board and having unlimited days for returning champs were probably the two best things he did for J!)

Back in 2010 ever since they fired Rich Fields in favor of comedian George Gray, I was unable to keep up with their new direction. I've tried to get use to the new changes; but, after about a year or two it wasn't enough for me. If Mike wanted a "variety show within a game show", then he should of either keep the improved showcase that the classics did (Kinky Kong (1975), Martians Invade Price is Right (1988), etc.) or just let Drew do his Drewcase skits for showcase. I'm just saying. The showcase today is basically using the "get to the prize with no nonsense" format.

Look I don't hate Mike, I just don't like him. I get it that he might bring new life to both WOF & J!; but, I just don't want to relive the deja vu all over again. Hiring a comedian; but, has no idea what to use it for? He might fire Jim Thornton for another comedian as the new announcer. What worries me is that Mike is only looking for what's best for himself, even if it meant stealing the game show hosting gig.

Rich Fields definitely wasn't fired because Mike thought George Gray was better. I promise you that. He isn't going to fire Jim Thorton just to have more comedy.





Can you expand more on what you mean by "variety show within a game show"? I understand that Mike had to naturally appeal to a changing demographic, which would mean more buzz-worthy moments to post onto Facebook or Twitter, but I don't think that's what you're arguing. Also, I don't agree with the premise of giving Drew control over the showcases. Although I know some were good, the stinkers like the Fried Chicken Showcase are the ones I remember from that era.





Again, could you expand on this more? From your previous complaints, it seems like you were worried about Mike Richards becoming the next host of Jeopardy! I guarantee you he won't.

As for Harry Friedman, congrats for having such a long tenure, and it's a shame it ended on a very rocky note. As has been brought up, on Wheel, I'd say the biggest change that resonated with me after the MDW was the 1/2 Car, but besides that, there really haven't been major tweaks during my time watching the show. Jeopardy! only needs to refresh their pop culture trivia to get the occasional shoutout from a celebrity on Twitter to stay relevant, and with 305 clues a week to work with, Harry did a good job ensuring the writers held that balance perfectly (except the fact that they messed up on two video game questions this season alone, but that's me niggling about nothing). Wheel doesn't have that advantage with just about a sixth of the potential puzzles in the same time period, so Harry had, and Mike will also have, to use gameplay changes to boost that.

Of course, I'm fine with Wheel being on the back burner for a little bit longer, since Mike's first big challenge will be making sure the transition from Alex to the next host goes smoothly. However, it would be nice for Wheel to get some more life as well. And if that doesn't happen, I'll make sure when I get on that I'll give them a memorable contestant

Syndicated weekly in an era before such shows were distributed via satellite, with the tapes instead having mailing lists attached (long story).

Yes, there were weekly games with week-to-week continuity and carryover players - The $128,000 Question (1976-78), The $100,000 Name That Tune (1976-81), and Joker Joker Joker (1979-81) - but those were the exceptions in that era.


Lower-budget iteration with a "player of the week" format to determine who played in the two tournaments held that year. Also aired several weeks out of production order, most notably resulting in the final two weeks taped before the second tournament airing after it so the latter would be in May sweeps.


GSN originals have almost never had returning champs.


Primetime games have rarely had returning champs either, not to mention that each "hour" is two separate episodes they paired up (often from different taping sessions).


Because CBS, more specifically Nina Tassler, wanted him as host. Neither Price nor Fremantle got to have a say in the matter.